From U.S. Pat. Nos 5,464,495 and 4,447,280, for example, it is known that containers such as cans, bottles or the like can be wrapped with shrink material, whereby the material projects beyond areas that are formed radially inward (bottom or shoulder) after it is wound on. In order to form these projecting areas of the wrapping material onto the contour of the container, a local heat treatment takes place with hot air, causing the material to shrink radially inwardly until it snugly fits the container surface. In the process, at no time may the wrapping material become overheated, in order to avoid pleat or bubble formation.
For containers that are sensitive to heat, specifically thin-walled plastic surfaces comprising polyethylene terephthalate or another type of material, in particular situations the influence of heat that is applied for too long a period of time can cause disadvantages such as the deformation of the container. This situation, above all, can arise during an emergency stoppage of the machine when the machine needs to be stopped immediately as a result of a fault in the machine, so that containers that are still located in the machine prior to the stoppage can no longer be guided out. Even if the hot air that is generated is switched off immediately, the residual heat of the blower and the energy stored in the blower housing is so great that a deformation of the container that is still in the machine can occur, even with an increase in the distance of the hot air blower relative to the containers.